1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to home appliance lighting and more specifically it relates to a refrigeration appliance interior lighting system for sensing the exterior light level and adjusting the light level accordingly within the interior of the home appliance.
2. Description of the Related Art
Home refrigeration appliances such as refrigerators and freezers have been in use for years. Typically, refrigeration appliances have an interior lighting system that is illuminated upon the opening of a door to assist the individual with viewing the interior contents of the appliance. Most refrigeration appliances utilize a simple incandescent light bulb to illuminate the interior of the appliance.
The main problem with conventional refrigeration appliances is that the light bulb illuminates a constant light level regardless of the exterior light conditions and level. Hence, even when the exterior light conditions within the surrounding room are relatively low, the light bulb within the appliance will illuminate the same level of light thereby temporarily blinding the individual upon opening of the door.
Examples of patented devices which may be related to the present invention include U.S. Pat. No. 4,851,662 to Ott et al.; Japanese Patent 406034266 to Ogata & Akashi; Japanese Patent 405164461 to Nakamura; U.S. Pat. No. 6,478,445 to Lange et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,768,898 to Seok et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,205,533 to Sterling; U.S. Pat. No. 4,072,486 to Joseph; U.S. Pat. No. 6,059,420 to Rogers; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,311,509 to Cartwright et al.
While these devices may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they are not as suitable for sensing the exterior light level and adjusting the light level accordingly within the interior of the home appliance. Conventional refrigeration appliances have lighting systems that are inadequate for use in varying lighting conditions of a surrounding room.
In these respects, the refrigeration appliance interior lighting system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of sensing the exterior light level and adjusting the light level accordingly within the interior of the home appliance.